Updated '06 Impala site.

http://www.chevrolet.com/impala06/

The design of the site is still very user unfriendly. I thought that the updates are minimal compared to what was there after the cars were unveiled. GM should take this opportunity to show much more of the cars etc. The 06 Imp/MC/HHR/Z06 all have the same boring generic looking theme and it needs to be improved immediately. The internet is a wonderful tool and the consumer would like to pull up the information first hand from the company's site and if this is what they see it could affect a sale.


Take a look at the G6 site at pontiac... Much better execution and lots of pictures... all these little things should be done IMO. Another good site is the Acura website (RL subsite is 10* better) and don't tell me it's because it is a luxury nameplate .... on the internet the experience can be made similar without being too expensive.. my honest .02

PS on a side note: How much would it cost GM to upgrade the key fob and the key itself?
VW has very stylish looking keys that should be a must in this segment, especially if you are highlighting the features on the fob. (Also the last Escalade had the same generic fob/key and it didn't fit a 50K "luxury" SUV"..) all these little things need to be addressed...

PS on a side note: How much would it cost GM to upgrade the key fob and the key itself?
VW has very stylish looking keys that should be a must in this segment, especially if you are highlighting the features on the fob. (Also the last Escalade had the same generic fob/key and it didn't fit a 50K "luxury" SUV"..) all these little things need to be addressed...

Kinda brought to mind the one pic i saw in this one MT shootout. It had a pic of Ferrari Enzo key alongside Ford GT and Carrerra GT. The Ford GT's key looked out of place.
http://speed.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/1061013a.jpg

So the little key things have been largly ignored for the most part by the domestic automakers. Most people don't care though. But it's something that would be nice to have anyways.

The reason those cars have a different site is because they are sort of "sneak peeks"; when the '06 cars start hitting dealerships, they will be added to the mainstream www.chevrolet.com site, and more of the information will be there.

They have done it that way for a while.

Most of the car looks like a great improvement....the fold down rear seat solution is a kick ass feature...

I HATE that dash though...looked awful in person IMO...

This can't be GM, they have the nerve to offer three diffrent engines on the same car.

Most of the car looks like a great improvement....the fold down rear seat solution is a kick ass feature...

I HATE that dash though...looked awful in person IMO...

Yeah, styling is abit..ummm understated (looks better in person IMO)...but it sure beats the bizarro lines on the Grand Prix.

EDIT: The base 3.5 is rated at 211 hp. Anyone know how they picked up the extra ponies?

I like the new Impala , save for the headlights . A more modern projector , next to a regular highbeam would have done wonders for the front end . This car outa do reeeeal well in the midsize segment . They kinda honed in the balance of blandness and style that seems to sell midsize cars . Hopefully all the different models are priced right and GM has themselves a winner .

Yeah, styling is abit..ummm understated (looks better in person IMO)...but it sure beats the bizarro lines on the Grand Prix.


I was juggling a very tired and very hungry one year old at the auto show, so I didn't get to take a great look at it. :lol: The quality looked like it was there, but the double blob just screamed will-my-walker-fit-in-the-trunk to me.

Count the number of times the words "Small block" appear on that site.

Just a side note, Was anyone aware that the TB SS gets a 4.10 rear end? :eek:

Just a side note, Was anyone aware that the TB SS gets a 4.10 rear end? :eek:

I didn't know the SS got that (persoanlly I think that's waaaay too low for a 4 speed auto). A friend of mine had a trrailblazer 2 years ago with 4:10s and the I-6. He said it was snappy off the line but completely ran out of steam at cruising speed (no passing power).

I didn't know the SS got that (persoanlly I think that's waaaay too low for a 4 speed auto). A friend of mine had a trrailblazer 2 years ago with 4:10s and the I-6. He said it was snappy off the line but completely ran out of steam at cruising speed (no passing power).

Holy crap! You have GOT to be kidding me. 4.10 gears with the TB's taller tires (in the SS's case, they're 255/50/20), are the equivalent of running 3.67 gears in an A4 corvette! (or 3.50 gears in an Fbody)

HARDLY close to running out of steam. . .3.73 geared Fbodies don't even feel like they'll run out of steam!

Finally, a friend of mine also happens to have an Envoy with 4.10's. . . loves it at all speeds, even when we're cruising at ~80 mph you'd never think it had low gears.

I'm sorry that I am the voice of repitivity, but 303 HP FWD. WHY? Maybe Mercedes and BMW can take a lesson from GM, because their drivetrains aren't selling at all :rolleyes:

I like the drivetrain choices, but:
-The interior still looks like crap. Better than last time for sure. But that's what all the manufacturers have been doing: making better and better interiors. GM needs to stop being content with just 'not losing ground' and force themselves to start gaining up the ground they lost a couble decades or more ago. Cadillac seems to be heading in the right direction in that regard. So maybe they're just to lazy or cheap to do something similar for Chevy?
-No navigation? WTF??
-4 speed auto?

Exterior looks look just a boring as your average Toyota IMO.

Its nice to see GM using neutral colored interiors more. The Gray/dark gray colors were way over used in the past.

I think the car looks pretty good in LT, and LTZ trim. I think the SS is a little bland, it needs something, maybe more aggressive styled wheels, and silver mesh grilles for a start.

My only real beef is the taillights, I don't like the Malibu looking taillights. I think they should have went with multiple circle taillights + amber turn lights.

I like the drivetrain choices, but:
-The interior still looks like crap. Better than last time for sure. But that's what all the manufacturers have been doing: making better and better interiors. GM needs to stop being content with just 'not losing ground' and force themselves to start gaining up the ground they lost a couble decades or more ago. Cadillac seems to be heading in the right direction in that regard. So maybe they're just to lazy or cheap to do something similar for Chevy?
-No navigation? WTF??
-4 speed auto?

Exterior looks look just a boring as your average Toyota IMO.

Threxx there are pictures of Nav available. The interior was designed by Lear and should be top, or darn close, of its class. I have not seen one in person but I think it looks rather nice in pictures. Did you get to see one in person up close yet?

BTW it is good to see your posts in here (5th gen forum) you are quite informed and make sense when you talk about vehicles be they import or domestic.

My bad no pics found of Nav so I guess I was thinking Lucerne, but the same radio nav unit should bolt in.

I'm sure its a nice car (and the 5.3 is REALLY neat...except for the FWD). However, the styling is.....well....underwhelming. Maybe it should be, I don't know.

i think the front would look so much better if they cut the headlight assembly right above the actual headlight cut (basically bring the top down slightly)

The design of the site is still very user unfriendly.

I hate going to any of these GM sites. I don't know why, but those Flash files load slower than a Mustang for me. I can literally see the the borders and transitions coming across the screen (it took 21 seconds to finally load the first image). And it's not like I'm running a Commodore 64 here; I have DSL and a P4 3.0 with Firefox. Do GM's web designers not test this stuff out?

Oh, and the car? It lost any edginess and distinctiveness the 2000 Impy had. It now looks like a generic mid-90s blandmobile. Whereas Chysler made a bold move to push the styling envelope with their mid-sized sedan (and reaped the rewards), GM went the opposite way and chose milquetoast. I predict they will be rewarded accordingly.

Count the number of times the words "Small block" appear on that site.

The frequent use of the term struck me as well. For some reason reading "The legendary small block V8 returns in Impala SS" made me chuckle. But i guess it's no different than the bastardization of the "hemi" name. The 5.3l is not a return of the legendary small block obviously - but using "small block" as a marketing catch phrase seems ridiculous to me. It just doesn't have the staying power as "hemi".

I found it interesting that there is a picture of an mp3 player plugged into the stereo's front AUX input int he cockpit photo. GM is trying to capitalize on the iPod's success i guess. A cool feature for sure though i've never seen an OEM head unit with an AUX input in the front.

It's a shame the vehicle is not available in RWD configuration with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Does anybody know how much this thing weighs? Final drive ratio?

Oh, and the car? It lost any edginess and distinctiveness the 2000 Impy had. It now looks like a generic mid-90s blandmobile. Whereas Chysler made a bold move to push the styling envelope with their mid-sized sedan (and reaped the rewards), GM went the opposite way and chose milquetoast. I predict they will be rewarded accordingly.

I agree with you. Especially the picture ont he main page when it initially loads - I could just have easily have been looking at a Malibu. Very bland and uninspired styling.

Kinda brought to mind the one pic i saw in this one MT shootout. It had a pic of Ferrari Enzo key alongside Ford GT and Carrerra GT. The Ford GT's key looked out of place.
http://speed.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/1061013a.jpg

So the little key things have been largly ignored for the most part by the domestic automakers. Most people don't care though. But it's something that would be nice to have anyways.
when someone asks for a test drive the key is the first thing that you notice.

The current Impala's look better exterior and interior. Another GM design wonder.

Yeah, styling is abit..ummm understated (looks better in person IMO)...but it sure beats the bizarro lines on the Grand Prix.



The GP would be one of GM's best looking cars if they could get the front end right. From the side and the rear, the car is a killer. The front is an abortion, and someone should be fired for it. The headlights and little grills make it looks like some kind of extinct reptile. It is sad because the last GP was one of the best looking cars of it's era IMO. That being said, I have had people not like it, and others love it and want to know all about it...so I guess it is just a polarizing car.

The new Impala looks like it has been beat with the Malibu ugly stick. It is not as offensive to the point I would not buy it..but the front end looks like ass, and reminds me of a Lumina for some reason. The interior is okay, but it is not exciting. For the small budget I am willing to bet these cars got, they did good.

I think it looks sweet, and will bury the GP...not that that's good for me or anything :(

Personally, I think so long as the SS is priced at $28,995 (aka $1k less than the GXP), it should be a winner.

Personally, I think so long as the SS is priced at $28,995 (aka $1k less than the GXP), it should be a winner.

They really kept the GXP under 30K like they should have . Woooooow .

The GP would be one of GM's best looking cars if they could get the front end right. From the side and the rear, the car is a killer. The front is an abortion, and someone should be fired for it. The headlights and little grills make it looks like some kind of extinct reptile. It is sad because the last GP was one of the best looking cars of it's era IMO. That being said, I have had people not like it, and others love it and want to know all about it...so I guess it is just a polarizing car.
I agree with all of that completely, but actually think the GXP package really brings this GP into its own, much in the same way that the Boneville finally looked "right" with its GXP package. The biggest problem IMHO with Pontiacs styling is that it's too agressive for the lower trim level cars, and ends up looking ridiculous. For instance, the base Bonneville has tons of cladding and big flared nostrils up front - but then it's got hubcaps. The result? :yuck: However, add some 18'' aluminum wheels, performance brakes and two awsome exaust tips to this car, and it suddenly looks really nice, even shall I say it, upscale. The same with the Grand Prix. It really has a design that could only look good with huge wheels, big fat tires, vented calipers and dual exhaust - that's just what the design calls for. I even like what they did with the nostrils up front. If you haven't already done so Branden, go to Clubgp and look at the pictures an owner took of his new GXP. As is almost always the case, this car looks a thousand times better in these snapshots than in GM's crappy press photos.

They should just go ahead and put wood panel sides on the HHR and get it over with.

The new Impala is sorta bland. But not too bland. I got the same first impressions visually that I remember from the mid 90's Civics and Accords. Looks decent, just nothing to turn a flip over.

It's a great looking car with flowing design through out. Not a single line out of place. I would expect the '06s to easily break the 300k/year barrier. The only gripe I have is they are still MSRPed at least $2K over so they'll need to apply rebates pretty quickly to reflect the value.

BTW, I'm not buying the "it's not targeted at me" line. If you don't see this as one of the better designs GM's done on its mainstream cars IN A LONG TIME then you're either blind or you have no taste whatsoever. I'm an enthusiast. I live for sports cars, yet I appreciate the Impala design for what it is.

Also, if the new Impala is "bland" and the new Charger is "ugly" what EXACTLY would you have a car look? I mean, the clean looking Impala obviously isn't to your taste. Yet the aggresive Charger which just oozes with preasence and character (the opposite of "bland") is "ugly"? Is it April fools again?

I hate going to any of these GM sites. I don't know why, but those Flash files load slower than a Mustang for me. I can literally see the the borders and transitions coming across the screen (it took 21 seconds to finally load the first image). And it's not like I'm running a Commodore 64 here; I have DSL and a P4 3.0 with Firefox. Do GM's web designers not test this stuff out?
it has nothing to do with either the site's performance or your computer. IT'S DESIGNED THAT WAY. whether that's a good design or not.... but if you're going to bash at least KNOW what you're bashing.

Oh why do we have to put up with crappy fake wood??? I have yet to see fake wood that has tricked me into thinking it was real. Please leave the fake wood off, thank you. Use a different color plastic if you want accent. Paint it silver, anything but fake wood.

Also, why doesn't GM try to spice up bland interiors with COLOR. The GTO with the red gauges/leather/doors looks awesome when compared to the somber all black. Just don't go back to making all red or all blue interiors. GM should really use this as something to differentiate themselves and add accent to an interior, instead of relying on fake wood.